Wear plate for pin setting frames



Feb. 22, 1949. PALMER 2,462,543

WEAR PLATE FOR PIN SETTING FRAMES Filed Aug. 4, 1947 INVENTOR.

R CHAR D F. PALME R after a period of use.

Patented Feb. 22, 194g UNITED TES 2,462,545;

WEAR PLATE FOR PIN SETTING FRAMES Richard Palmer, lliastings, I Application August 4, 1947, serial norveaoiz g Claims. (oi. spa-42 1 This invention relates to means for increasin the useful life of a bowling pin used with a pin setting machine and more particularly to a plate designed to compensate for wear to the pins by building up the seating plate of a bowling pin setting machine.

Heretofore various methods have been developed to increase the useful life of bowling pins used with pin setting machines before or after their operation with such machines has been aifected by wear or by the turning down usually applied to bowling pins for smoothing them However, these devices have had serious disadvantages handicapping, and thus restricting, their usage. They are expensive to manufacture. Their design requires the use of close tolerances and careful matching of parts.

Their cost is also greatly increased by the time consumed in installation which requires careful alignment of the parts in relation to each other and the final location must be made within fine limits to produce satisfactory performance. Furthermore, despite these necessiv ties the adjustments are difficult to make involvin g a-great deal Of trial an-d error.

My invention eliminates these disadvantages by providing a wear plate so designed that it is quick and simple to install and at the same time fully compensates for any decrease in the r diameter of the pins incident to wear or to smoothing operations.

It is, therefore, a primary object of my invention to provide a wear, and wear compensating, plate requiring no adjustment at the time of installation.

t is an additional object of my invention to provide a wear plate which will be both simple and quick to install.

It is another object of my invention to provide means effective for the purposes aforesaid which will also compensate for, and prevent further, wear on the seating plate of the pin setting machine by which to eliminate further complicating adjustments.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a wear plate which may be easily and cheaply manufactured.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional View in side elevation of my wear plate installed in operating position.

i e 2 i e ten v ew of m w ar at n en ma- Pee iee- F e 31. e rent v ew e m wear ate n pr d e .de iee in t the e i et a u eee q ine eve; ha ee e widely from usual approaches to this problem a h v 'ev de e emi-e reula p a e designed e fi hin th eeeriin imp n w ich the in is we e during the s in .e eieti an the side of that opening upon which the pinire sts prior to lowering. compensates fully for ?Weer en he pi and lmeeh S m er a u cker to install than prior known devices.

h e m f werw an .fdd'wnwar nd horizontal? and'ffvertical will be vfreely used in this description and will be talcen tomeanin ela fie were? a shown i F e 5 and 3.

R e i n tethe drawi s mere det he nu e I e e e e weer la e ha in a iv embe 2 -e de.re ls s late he vertical member-is provided ahead 4 near its lower edge extending radially .QltW ijdly.

Above the bead 4 the vertical member is displaced outwardly and then grimped over and inwardly to form a folded metallic 1ock" 5 fq seating and securing the retaining plate}. The yertie lm mber -v2 and theretaining plate 3 are Jeeih s ar in e 'ee eir r le e lee s own ,inFigureZ.

he i a aie p ate ee iet .e e n nme a member "6 and a vertical flange I joined bya curved portion 8 of small, smooth radius.

When the lock 5 has been formed but before the retaining plate 3 is seated, the interior portion 9 of the vertical member stands up in a vertical position. The retaining plate 3 is then seated in the pocket of the lock 5 formed between the exterior folded portion and the interior portion of the lock. After this, the interior portion is bent outwardly over the retaining plate to complete the lock 5 and to provide a smoothly radiused rim H. The two parts are thereby prevented from becoming detached.

The assembled wear plate is installed by passing it downward through the opening I! (Figures 1 and 2) until the retaining plate seats on the platform 53. The bead 4 passes through the opening to grip the lower side of the platform (Figure 1), by which to prevent the wear plate from becoming dislodged.

As the pin wears, or is turned down for smoothing, its diameter lessens and it begins to drop prematurely through the setting opening l2. The addition of the plate herein described holds the pin further forward in the pin controlling apparatus and thus counteracts the efiects of its reduced diameter and reestablishes close and reliable control over it. This plate is much simpler to install than other devices, as the conventional pair of triangular blocks now known for this purpose, so that its use represents a great saving in a bowling alley operation. 7

Further continued use of the unprotected seating platform l3 causes it to wear at the edge M of the opening, resulting in a relocation of the points of support for the pin l to a position back of a vertical line through the center of gravity of the pin. The pin then tends to tip prematurely into the opening. The addition of the wear plate reestablishes the point of support in correct relationship to the pins center of gravity and prevents further wear of the platform. The smooth radius of the rim I! reduces wearing of the pin and facilitates the tilting of the pin into the opening 1'2. The curving of the rim locates the point of support correctly in relation'to the original condition of the platform by compensating for the Wall thickness of the wear plate itself.

The various parts constituting the wear plate assembly may be made from any suitable sheet material such as steel, aluminum, copper or plastic.

' The wear plate can be modified by eliminating the bead and substituting some positive attaching means such as screws. It is also possible to make the wear plate from a single piece of metal by spinning or casting. These, however,

are merely variations of the same general principles underlying my invention as specifically disclosed above.

Various other modifications in the specific structure herein described, especially in relation 1 to the method of joining the parts composing the wear plate assembly, will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, but it is to be understood that the invention hereby disclosed is to be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim: I 1. Means for compensating for wear on bowl- 4 supporting a pin balanced in a substantially horizontal position thereon, the means comprising: a semicircular plate adapted for fitting within said opening, said plate having a horizontal member and a flange depending vertically from the radially inner edge thereof and joined thereto through a smoothly radiused rim; a bead extending radially outwardly from said flange and adapted for seating against that edge of said opening which is removed from said horizontal member. 7

2. A pin setting device comprising a frame having receptacles for holding bowling pins at a small anglewith respect to the horizontal, wherein said receptacles each has an opening through the bottom thereof against at least one edge of which one pin rests; a substantially semicircular metal plate comprising an upper and a lower part against the bottom of each of said receptacles adjacent said respective openings and against the wall defining a portion of saidrespective openings'the s'aid lower' 'part= contacting said Wall, being of semi-cylindrical form and having a bead near its lower extremity extending radially outwardly and engaging the lower surface of said receptacle adjacent to"a 5'aid' respective opening to hold said plate firmly within said opening, and also'having a folded portion near its upper extremity-defining witha continuation thereof a groove for the reception of the upper part of said plate, and the said upper part comprising a horizontal m'ember resting against the bottom of said receptacle-andhaving a vertically positioned attachment thereon received into said groove and a; portion of said continuation being bent intoa' horizontal position above said horizontal member to lock' same'firmly into place, whereby wear by said pins against the bottom of said receptacles and against the walls of 'said'openings will be prevented and a compensation for wear on said pins will be provided. w

RICHARD F. PALMER.

REFERENCES CITED; 1 y

The following references are file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS of record in the Number 

